Friend, as we all navigate the unknown of the COVID-19 pandemic together, I wanted you to know that we are sending our best wishes for your safety. Although we’re all in diverse circumstances and dispersed around the nation, we’re all united as part of the caring Common Cause community.
I also wanted to let you know that while most staff and volunteers are working from home or online, our teleworking network is extraordinarily active -- and, for good reason.
Let me explain:
You see, the COVID-19 pandemic has made our work for voting reforms all the more urgent. In the next few months, we are prioritizing measures like vote-by-mail, online voter registration, and early voting, so every voter can be heard without risking their health.
We believe anyone who wants to cast their ballot by mail should be allowed to -- and we’ll also need to expand other reforms, like online registration and early voting, so that every eligible voter can be heard.
Vote-by-mail is an idea we’ve long supported, and we’ve helped expand it in multiple states, dramatically increasing turnout in places like Oregon, Washington, and Colorado. But now it is more than a good idea -- it is a necessity for the health of voters and the health of our democracy.
That’s why, over the past week, thousands of Common Cause members have called their lawmakers, demanding that Congress provide the $2 billion it’ll take to help states invest in their election systems before November.
You helped lock in a partial victory this week -- with Congress allocating $400 million of the necessary funding. But it’s absolutely imperative that we keep the pressure on -- to get the full funding we need. And, we'll need to make sure that states and localities spend that money properly so all voters can be heard, including voters who'd be disenfranchised by a mail-only system without other options.
Voters shouldn’t have to settle for partial funding. Democracy deserves a full -- not half -- loaf. We need your help to send a loud and clear message to Congress: In the next round of funding, you must finish the job. You must step up efforts to bail out voters, not corporate CEOs.
HOWEVER… I must also be quite frank. I’m concerned that this pandemic creates a financial uncertainty for the work we simply must take on, because we rely on supporters like you to keep this work and momentum going forward. I hope you will help, if you’re able to at this time of uncertainty, to do what you can to support our mobilization for vote-by-mail and other needed reforms >>
Or give another amount >>
In light of the pandemic, and given the dark tactics of the voter suppression crowd, we know this fight for democracy is well worth the battle. You see, the good news is that states that have set up robust vote-by-mail can move forward with minimal issues. For the states that haven’t -- and now will need to quickly change their plans for in-person voting -- we must take action.
But this isn’t so simple as saying “universal vote-by-mail” and being done with it -- because as with any change to our elections, it takes diligence to make sure voters aren’t disenfranchised.
As I write, our voting experts are working -- from their homes, kitchen tables and bedrooms, by telephone and email -- with local officials to make sure they design vote-by-mail opportunities in the right ways.
Here are the questions for which we’re demanding answers and providing guidance: How do we reach people who’ve recently moved, or students, or others without permanent housing? Is postage prepaid for voters who can’t afford it -- particularly in these tough economic times? What’s the plan to make sure Native voters, voters with disabilities, or voters with limited English proficiency can still be heard?
Our advocates are using the relationships they already have with local election officials -- and the expertise we’ve built over years -- to help ensure every voter is able to participate equitably.
Common Cause has decades of experience with protecting voters under difficult circumstances -- natural disasters, computer failures, and everything in between.
So, while we’ve never seen anything like this pandemic, I’m confident we’ll be able to find the best solutions to protect public health and maintain voter access.
This means establishing or expanding vote-by-mail in every state where it’s viable for the November elections. And everywhere else, we’ll do everything possible to expand participation -- early voting, online registration, and additional voting accommodations.
The truth is, Common Cause’s work to protect voters in 2020 has grown more necessary in the past few weeks. That’s why we’re counting on you, if you’re able, to step up with the resources to make it possible. I hope you will do what you can to help today.
Please be safe. And thank you for being part of the Common Cause community at this difficult time.
Karen Hobert Flynn, President
and the team at Common Cause
P.S. Tonight, you can learn more about our plans to protect voting rights in this time -- as well as our work for accountability and oversight in the upcoming stimulus bill -- at our special online townhall for Common Cause members. We'll go live at 8:30 p.m. Eastern tonight -- RSVP now to reserve your spot!
